Insufficient birth spacing in families

A survey of 6,000 women in India has shown infant mortality rates of approximately 80 per 1,000 where the interval between births was three to four years, rising to 200 per 1,000 when the interval between births was less than one year. A greater than 100% reduction in infant morality under age one is achieved in the following countries when births are spaced at least two years apart: Northeastern Brazil, Pakistan, Nigeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Turkey. In the USA, it has been estimated that infant mortality rates could be reduced by almost a third if no woman were to have more than three well-spaced births.